JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A judge has ordered the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to turn over to the family of a man who died in the Duval County Jail video footage and reports of what happened.
The judge’s ruling allows only family of Charles Faggart, the man who died, and family’s attorneys, to view this material.
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This includes the report that was produced at the time of the incident, but not investigative reports of the incident.
Family attorney Belkis Plata told Action News Jax that the judge’s ruling does not include public disclosure of the video and report.
However, Plata and her team are pushing for the judge to allow the public to see the video and read the report.
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Representatives for JSO disagreed with this.
They now have 10 days to submit their reasons for why the judge should or should not allow for public disclosure.
Plata said she expects the judge to make a ruling on that in two to three weeks.
Faggart’s family did not wish to speak, but Plata said they are grateful for this outcome.
How did we get here?
Faggart’s family filed the lawsuit against Sheriff T.K. Waters and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on April 7, the one-year anniversary of Faggart’s death at the Duval County Jail.
The lawsuit is seeking the release of all public records and video evidence related to the April 7, 2025, incident that led to Faggart’s death.
The 31-year-old died after being placed in a restraint chair while in police custody. While a JSO incident report mentions aggressive behavior and a seizure, the family alleges he was killed by officers.
The FBI has since become involved in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
Plata is seeking the release of the complete public record related to Faggart’s death and investigation, including all available video evidence, the suit states.
The family stated that formal public records requests made shortly after Faggart’s death have been met with silence. “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, led by Waters, has blatantly violated Florida’s public records laws, denying the transparency and accountability the law requires and the public is entitled to,” the legal team said in a statement at the time the lawsuit was filed.
Read: Report reveals incident that preceded Duval inmate Charles Faggart’s death stretched over 2 hours
Attorneys for the family allege that Faggart was “brutally beaten and killed by officers within the Duval County Jail.”
According to a JSO incident report, Faggart was in jail following a domestic violence incident. On April 7, 2025, he was being moved to a cell when he reportedly displayed aggressive behavior, prompting officers to attempt to restrain him.
Sources indicated that pepper spray was allegedly used during the encounter. Faggart was then placed in a restraint chair.
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The incident report states that Faggart was moved to a cell nearly 2 hours after being placed in the restraint chair. Officers reported witnessing a seizure during the incident, though the events following the restraint are heavily redacted in the police report.
Faggart was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.
Protests have occurred throughout Jacksonville in the months following the incident.
Read: Jacksonville police identify 9 officers removed from jail duties after injury of inmate who died
Read: Charles Faggart’s mother claims his autopsy report lists cause of death as ‘unable to determine’
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